The availability list is starting to grow again, and that’s a good thing. We’ll be adding more items every couple of weeks until the end of the growing season. We’re having the hottest weather of the summer (it was 98 here today) but, all things considered, I can’t complain. It has been a fairly mild summer until now, which is something you can normally say only until about the middle of June rather than the end of August. September is usually hot here too, but at least then you’re seeing news reports of fall-like weather in the northern states. It might still be 92 and miserably humid, but at least you know the end of the oppressive heat is just about over.

One item on the availability list I’d like to point out is a new daylily we’ve begun growing called ‘Suburban Nancy Gayle’. It is a big-growing red bloomer with a flower that must be 5 or 6 inches in diameter. They’re not blooming as much now as they were a couple of months ago, but there are still a few stray blooms here and there. It is a plant I think you’ll be hearing more about in the future. Since daylilies are generally durable and heat tolerant, I think you can sell them even this time of year.

And speaking of this time of year, IT’S FOOTBALL SEASON!!! High school football season kicked off this past Friday night and college ball starts this weekend and life is worth living again. It’s not that I have anything against the other sports, but for me college football is the best thing since sliced bread. Being a Mississippi State fan means that I’m accustomed to heartbreak and despair, but like all other foolish optimists I have high hopes for the upcoming season. I hate to jinx my Bulldogs by getting my hopes up, but we could claw our way to the upper reaches of mediocrity if we get a few breaks this fall.

I’m generally not as excited about professional football as I am about college ball, but this year is a little different for me. One of my son’s high school teammates was drafted by the Houston Texans, so now I’m now a Texans fan. His name is Jay Prosch and he plays fullback. He’s a good kid and a physical marvel. Fullbacks are not normally premier players so you won’t likely see him on a box of Wheaties (if they still make those things), but he’s somebody you can feel good about pulling for. He holds most of the weightlifting records at his old high school. Maybe all of them, actually. The only number I can remember is that he bench-pressed 440 pounds as a senior in high school. I wouldn’t try to lift that much weight without a jack or a front-end loader.

If you want to see a heartwarming YouTube video, look up the one about Jay and his mother. As I think of it, maybe tearjerking is a better word than heartwarming. Anyway, I won’t spoil it for you, but it was made right after his mother was diagnosed with a brain tumor. It’s a very moving story about Jay and his family and how they dealt with her illness. I hope Jay has a long and illustrious NFL career. He’s one of the good guys and I wish him well.